Rotary engine with rotating pistons and cylinders

Abstract

An internal combustion engine having combustion chambers that rotate about a main shaft axis in a step-wise manner. A first and second rotors each have elongate pistons that are interdigitated so that when one rotor rotates with respect to the other rotor, some chambers between the interdigitated pistons are reduced in volume and other chambers are increased in volume. Respective one-way bearings connect the first and second rotors to the main shaft to incrementally rotate it. Fuel mixture and exhaust apparatus is connected to one end of the engine to feed a fuel mixture to the increasing-volume chambers and extract the exhaust from other decreasing-volume chambers. At the same time, yet other chambers are experiencing compression and ignition cycles. An oil pump is driven by the first and second rotors for circulating a lubricant from a reservoir, through the engine parts to be lubricated and then back to the reservoir to cool the lubricant.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
 a main shaft rotatable about an axial axis thereof; 
 a first rotor rotatably driving said main shaft in only one rotary direction about said axial axis, said first rotor drivingly attached to said main shaft to allow said first rotor to remain stationary while said main shaft is rotated in said one rotary direction, said first rotor having a cylindrical housing, a plurality of first rotor pistons attached internal to said cylindrical housing, the plurality of said first rotor pistons and said cylindrical housing rotate about said axial axis; 
 a second rotor rotatably driving said main shaft in said only one rotary direction about said axial axis, said second rotor drivingly attached to said main shaft to allow said second rotor to remain stationary while said first rotor rotatably drives said main shaft in the one rotary direction, said second rotor having a cylindrical housing and a plurality of second rotor pistons attached internal to the cylindrical housing of said second rotor, the plurality of said second rotor pistons and the cylindrical housing of said second rotor rotate about said axial axis; and 
 an oil pump driven by said first rotor and said second rotor; 
 wherein said main shaft extends axially through said first rotor and said second rotor; 
 wherein the plurality of said first rotor pistons and the plurality of said second rotor pistons are interdigitated to form chambers therebetween; 
 wherein said first rotor and said second rotor drive said main shaft in a step-wise manner during rotation of said main shaft, 
 wherein one of said first rotor and said second rotor is momentarily stopped for a period of time while the other rotor is driving said main shaft during the same period of time; and 
 wherein said oil pump draws oil from a reservoir and pumps the oil to components of said internal combustion engine to be lubricated. 
 
     
     
       2. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein said first rotor pistons extend radially inwardly from an internal surface of said cylindrical housing of the first rotor, and said second rotor pistons extend into said cylindrical housing of the first rotor. 
     
     
       3. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , further including at least one spark plug fastened to and rotatable with said first rotor, and at least one spark plug fastened to and rotatable with said second rotor, said spark plugs each for igniting a fuel mixture in one of said chambers. 
     
     
       4. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein said main shaft extends through said first rotor and said second rotor, and including a first one-way bearing for connecting said first rotor to said main shaft, and including a second one-way bearing for connecting said second rotor to said main shaft,
 wherein said first one-way bearing locks and allows said first rotor to drive the main shaft, and 
 wherein said second one-way bearing locks and allows said second rotor to drive the main shaft. 
 
     
     
       5. The internal combustion engine of  claim 4 , wherein said first one-way bearing is arranged so that said first rotor drives the main shaft a number of degrees in one direction during a first ignition cycle, and wherein said second one-way bearing is arranged so that subsequently said second rotor drives the main shaft a number of degrees in the same direction during a second ignition cycle. 
     
     
       6. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein said oil pump comprises impeller pistons, each said impeller piston moveable within a respective chamber of a chambered member, said impeller pistons and said chambered member rotate in a step-wise manner with said first and second rotors. 
     
     
       7. The internal combustion engine of  claim 6 , wherein said impeller pistons are driven by said first rotor and said chambered member is driven by said second rotor. 
     
     
       8. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein said oil pump includes impeller pistons, said impeller pistons driven by said first rotor, and said oil pump including a cylinder member driven by said second rotor, the impeller pistons located in respective cylinders of said cylinder member, and including an oil distributor for feeding a source of lubricating oil to said oil pump chambers of said oil pump cylinders that are increasing in volume, and said oil distributor for returning the lubricating oil from oil pump chambers of decreasing volume to oil channels of said first and second rotors. 
     
     
       9. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical housing of said first rotor includes an annular edge, and the cylindrical housing of said second rotor includes an annular edge, and the annular edges of said first cylindrical housing and said second cylindrical housing engage each other with a seal therebetween to seal the chambers. 
     
     
       10. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein said first rotor includes a central hub to which the pistons of said first rotor are attached, at least a portion of said central hub and pistons attached thereto extending into the cylindrical housing of said second rotor. 
     
     
       11. The internal combustion engine of  claim 10 , further including a spark distributor for sequentially distributing a spark to selected said chambers to sequentially ignite a respective compressed fuel mixture in the selected chambers to cause the first and second rotors to rotate in the step-wise manner. 
     
     
       12. The internal combustion engine of  claim 11 , further including a fuel mixture and exhaust distributor attached to one end of one said first or second rotor, said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor having ports in communication with the chambers of said first and second said rotors for simultaneously supplying a fuel mixture to specified chambers and extracting exhaust gasses from other selected chambers. 
     
     
       13. The internal combustion engine of  claim 12 , further including a gear arrangement for rotating said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor in a direction opposite a rotational direction of said first and second rotors. 
     
     
       14. The internal combustion engine of  claim 13 , wherein said gear arrangement rotates said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor at an angular speed twice an angular speed of either said first rotor or said second rotor. 
     
     
       15. The internal combustion engine of  claim 12 , further including a stationary fuel mixture and exhaust manifold operating with said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor, a source of a fuel mixture coupled to said stationary fuel mixture and exhaust manifold, and an exhaust pipe coupled to the stationary fuel mixture and exhaust manifold to remove the exhaust gasses from said engine. 
     
     
       16. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein the pistons of said first rotor are each constructed to move in a respective arc segment, where plural arc segments comprise one revolution of said first rotor, and during rotational movement of said first rotor in each said arc segment, said second rotor is momentarily stationary. 
     
     
       17. The internal combustion engine of  claim 1 , wherein said main shaft is rotatably supported at each end thereof by a respective one-way bearing. 
     
     
       18. An internal combustion engine for driving a load, comprising:
 a main shaft for delivering torque to the load, said main shaft rotatable about an axial axis thereof; 
 a first rotor having pistons and a second rotor having pistons, and chambers of varying volume between the pistons of said first rotor and the pistons of said second rotor, said first and second rotors alternately rotating about said main shaft to change the volume of said chambers, at least one chamber compressing a fuel therein for a combustion cycle to develop the torque to drive the load; 
 a first one-way rotating mechanism and a second one-way rotating mechanism, each said one-way rotating mechanism allowing rotation in one direction about said axial axis, but locks during attempted rotation in an opposite direction; 
 wherein said first one-way rotating mechanism connected between said first rotor and said main shaft for driving said main shaft about said axial axis when said first one-way mechanism is in a locked condition; 
 wherein said second one-way rotating mechanism connected between said second rotor and said main shaft for driving said main shaft about said axial axis when said second one-way mechanism is in a locked condition to rotate said main shaft in the same direction as said first rotor rotates said main shaft; 
 wherein said main shaft extends axially through said first rotor and through said second rotor; and 
 wherein said first rotor and said second rotor are not rigidly and mechanically fixed to said main shaft so that while said main shaft is rotating at least one of said first rotor and said second rotor remains stationary. 
 
     
     
       19. The internal combustion engine of  claim 18 , further including a pair of main supports, each main support for supporting a respective end of said main shaft, said main shaft journaled in each said main support with a respective third and fourth one-way rotating mechanism. 
     
     
       20. The internal combustion engine of  claim 18 , wherein each said first and second rotors includes a cylindrical housing, and including respective covers covering an end of each said cylindrical housing, each cover rotatably attached to said main shaft with a respective fifth and sixth one-way rotating mechanism. 
     
     
       21. The internal combustion engine of  claim 18 , wherein said first and second one-way rotating mechanisms comprise one-way bearings. 
     
     
       22. An internal combustion engine, comprising;
 a main shaft; 
 a hub rotor coupled to said main shaft for imparting a torque to said main shaft during first ignition cycles of said engine, said hub rotor having a cylindrical housing attached thereto, said hub rotor including a hub portion having an outer surface that extends centrally into said cylindrical housing and extends beyond an annular edge of said cylindrical housing, said hub rotor further including plural finger-like pistons spaced around and attached to the outer surface of said hub portion, and a portion of each said finger-like piston attached to an inner cylindrical surface of said cylindrical housing; 
 a cylinder rotor coupled to the main shaft for imparting a torque to said main shaft during second ignition cycles of said engine, said cylinder rotor having a cylindrical housing attached thereto, said cylinder rotor having a plurality of finger-like pistons attached to an inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical housing of said cylinder rotor, the finger-like pistons of said cylinder rotor extending beyond an annular edge of the cylindrical housing of said cylinder rotor and into the cylinder housing of said hub rotor; 
 said hub rotor and said cylinder rotor rotatably connected together so that the finger-like pistons of said hub rotor are interleaved with the finger-like pistons of said cylinder rotor to form chambers therebetween, when rotatably connected together the annular edge of the cylindrical housing of said hub rotor sealingly engages with the annular edge of the cylindrical housing of said cylinder rotor; and 
 each finger-like piston of said hub rotor incrementally rotates about said main shaft between respective adjacent finger-like pistons of said cylinder rotor, and each finger-like piston of said cylinder rotor incrementally rotates about said main shaft between respective adjacent finger-like pistons of said hub rotor. 
 
     
     
       23. The internal combustion engine of  claim 22 , wherein the cylindrical housing of said cylinder rotor further includes plural spark plugs attached thereto, and the cylindrical housing of said hub rotor further includes plural spark plugs attached thereto. 
     
     
       24. The internal combustion engine of  claim 22 , wherein said hub and said cylinder rotors are coupled to said main shaft with respective one-way rotating mechanisms, whereby
 during an ignition cycle said hub rotor rotates in one angular direction about said main shaft and said cylinder rotor is prevented from rotating in an opposite angular direction about said main shaft, and 
 during a subsequent ignition cycle said cylinder rotor rotates in said one angular direction about said main shaft and said hub rotor is prevented from rotating in the opposite angular direction about said main shaft. 
 
     
     
       25. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
 a rotatable main shaft; 
 a fuel mixture and exhaust distributor; 
 a first rotor for rotatably driving said main shaft, said first rotor having a cylindrical-shaped housing, said first rotor having plural pistons extending radially inwardly from an internal surface of said first rotor cylindrical-shaped housing toward an axial axis of the first rotor, said pistons rotating about said axial axis in concert with the cylindrical-shaped housing of said first rotor; 
 a second rotor for rotatably driving said main shaft, said second rotor having an outer cylindrical-shaped housing and an inner cylindrical-shaped hub, said second rotor having plural pistons extending radially inwardly from an internal surface of the cylindrical-shaped housing of said second rotor to said hub, said second rotor pistons rotating about said second rotor axial axis in concert with the cylindrical-shaped housing of said second rotor; 
 the pistons of said second rotor extending axially into the cylindrical-shaped housing of said first rotor, and the pistons of said first rotor extending axially into the cylindrical-shaped housing of said second rotor so that the pistons of said first rotor and the pistons of said second rotor are interdigitated; 
 a plurality of chambers located between the pistons of said first rotor and the pistons of said second rotor, said chambers rotatable with said first and second rotors; 
 an oil pump having an impeller with pistons, and said oil pump having a cylinder member with cylinders, the pistons of said impeller rotatably movable in respective cylinders of said cylinder member to draw a lubricant therein and to force the lubricant out of said cylinders to lubricate moving components of said engine, said oil pump attached to a first end of said engine and one of said impeller or said cylinder member is connected to and driven in concert by said first rotor, and another of said impeller or said cylinder member is connected to and driven in concert by said second rotor; and 
 a fuel mixture and exhaust distributor having fuel mixture ports and exhaust ports, said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor attached to a second end of said engine opposite said first end, said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor operable to rotate so that the fuel mixture ports of said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor maintain alignment with chambers of said engine undergoing respective Intake cycles, and said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor operable to rotate so that the exhaust ports of said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor maintain alignment with chambers of said engine undergoing respective Exhaust cycles. 
 
     
     
       26. The internal combustion engine of  claim 25 , further including a gear arrangement for rotating said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor in an angular direction opposite that of said main shaft. 
     
     
       27. The internal combustion engine of  claim 26 , wherein said gear arrangement is constructed for driving said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor with said main shaft so that said fuel mixture and exhaust distributor rotates with an angular rate twice that of either said first rotor or said second rotor. 
     
     
       28. A method of operating an internal combustion engine, comprising:
 incrementally driving a first engine rotor by successive IG cycles to incrementally drive a main shaft in a rotary direction, and between said IG cycles allowing the main shaft to rotate in said rotary direction while said first engine rotor does not drive said main shaft; 
 incrementally driving a second engine rotor between the successive IG cycles of said first engine rotor to incrementally drive said main shaft in said rotary direction, and said second engine rotor allows the main shaft to rotate in said rotary direction while said first engine rotor drives said main shaft and while said second engine rotor does not drive said main shaft; 
 extending the main shaft through both said first engine rotor and said second engine rotor without rigidly fixing the main shaft to said first engine rotor and said second engine rotor so that during different cycles a) said main shaft is driven in a rotary direction by said first engine rotor while said second engine rotor does not rotate with said main shaft, and b) said main shaft is driven in said rotary direction by said second engine rotor while said first engine rotor does not rotate with said main shaft;
 carrying out IN, EX, COMP and IG cycles in different chambers between interdigitated pistons attached to said first and second engine rotors, where a first set of pistons is attached to said first engine rotor and a second set of pistons is attached to said second engine rotor; 
 
 incrementally driving the first engine rotor to impart torque to said main shaft during an IG cycle occurring in at least one said chamber, and preventing rotation of said second engine rotor during incremental rotation of said first engine rotor; 
 incrementally driving the second engine rotor to impart torque to said main shaft during an IG cycle occurring in at least one said chamber and preventing rotation of said first engine rotor during incremental rotation of said second engine rotor; and 
 rotating said main shaft alternately by said first engine rotor and said second engine rotor so that said main shaft rotates at twice an angular rate of rotation of either said first engine rotor or said second engine rotor. 
 
     
     
       29. The method of operating the internal combustion engine according to  claim 28 , further including applying a spark to said first and second engine rotors while rotating. 
     
     
       30. The method of operating the internal combustion engine according to  claim 28 , further including carrying out IN, EX, COMP and IG cycles simultaneously. 
     
     
       31. The method of operating the internal combustion engine according to  claim 28 , further including driving an impeller of a lubricant pump with the first engine rotor, and driving a cylinder member of the lubricant pump with the second engine rotor. 
     
     
       32. The method of operating the internal combustion engine according to  claim 28 , further including using one-way bearings for connecting said first engine rotor and said second engine rotor to said main shaft. 
     
     
       33. A method of operating an internal combustion engine, comprising:
 incrementally driving a first engine rotor by successive IG cycles to incrementally drive a main shaft in a rotary direction, and between said IG cycles allowing the main shaft to rotate in said rotary direction while said first engine rotor does not drive said main shaft; 
 incrementally driving a second engine rotor between the successive IG cycles of said first engine rotor to incrementally drive said main shaft in said rotary direction, and said second engine rotor allows the main shaft to rotate in said rotary direction while said first engine rotor drives said main shaft and while said second engine rotor does not drive said main shaft; 
 carrying out IN, EX, COMP and IG cycles in different chambers between interdigitated pistons attached to said first and second engine rotors, where a first set of pistons is attached to said first engine rotor and a second set of pistons is attached to said second engine rotor; 
 incrementally driving the first engine rotor to impart torque to said main shaft during an IG cycle occurring in at least one said chamber, and preventing rotation of said second engine rotor during incremental rotation of said first engine rotor; 
 incrementally driving the second engine rotor to impart torque to said main shaft during an IG cycle occurring in at least one said chamber and preventing rotation of said first engine rotor during incremental rotation of said second engine rotor; 
 rotating said main shaft alternately by said first engine rotor and said second engine rotor so that said main shaft rotates at twice an angular rate of rotation of either said first engine rotor or said second engine rotor; and 
 driving an impeller of a lubricant pump with the first engine rotor, and driving a cylinder member of the lubricant pump with the second engine rotor.